


this isn't how it's meant to go

by femslashfatale (mikans_elbow)



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Multi, no i am not sorry, yes this is a homestuck AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-01-24 05:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18564475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikans_elbow/pseuds/femslashfatale
Summary: Episode One: The Rose Bride goes a little awry from canon.Where do we take it from here? Utena doesn't know.





	1. Chapter 1

Your name is UTENA TENJOU and today is the first day of the new semester at OHTORI ACADEMY. You have a fondness for CHIVALROUS IDEALS and SHORT SHORTS. Everything is going as normally as it usually is on this campus, until you turn upon a birdcage-shaped garden you've never seen up close before.

The smell of ROSES permeates the atmosphere, pulling you in toward its beautiful spectrum of growth and life. It's almost enchanting, compelling you to enter the garden. Good thing it's unlocked.

You reach out to the ornery off-white handle, feeling each finger gently wrap around its metal. It's cold to the touch. 

The scent in the air switches from that high end perfumey flower smell to something rancid, like someone just shoved their finger directly up your nose. It smells so bad it hurts, seriously. Maybe the gardener is really into those foreign flowers that smell really bad? You think that's a thing that exists.

While you contemplate the scent, you take a slow walk around the edge of the garden, looking at all the thorny multicolored roses. Your foot hits something firm, and you look down.

A girl with purple hair is laying on her side at your feet, her hands clasped together by her face as if she were asleep. A pair of shattered glasses sits close by, snow-like fractions of it trailing in all directions. You've never seen this girl before, but the image before you is concerning, if nothing else.

You kneel and put a hand to her shoulder, anxiety rising in your chest, then shake her. She's cold to the touch. An intrinsic feeling of wrongness takes hold of your body as you pull away, ignoring your limbs shivering just from the one connection you made with the body. The girl.

The garden door behind you slams open, and heavy footsteps head toward you. A rough hand grabs you by the wrist, throwing you up haphazardly, and you see another stranger. He looks like an upperclassman.

???: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH anthy?!  
UTENA: i dont know-- i dont know who that is!  
UTENA: hey! what even gives you the right to yell at me like this!  


He tightens his grip on your wrist, raising it above your head, digging his fingers into your veins. It's so tight your bones might start creaking, and frustratingly, you aren't strong enough to overpower him and break free.

???: THE GIRL RIGHT HERE!

He points at the unconscious girl you were just checking up on. Anthy, huh? You don't know why he's so freaked out about it when it's clear you could just wake her up.

The green-haired asshole raises his other hand in the air, as if preparing an action, then sets it back down. He lets go of your wrist, too, then falls to one knee beside Anthy's body to grab her wrist instead, lifting the limp limb to chest-level. 

UTENA: what do you not feel alive unless youve got a girls wrist in your sweaty palms?

He ignores your snide comment. His voice is much lower and quieter than when he was yelling just a minute ago.

???: (SHE'S...)  
???: (SHE'S DEAD.)  
UTENA: oh

It feels as though everything in your vision unravels around you. Was this always an outdoor garden? The walls are gone, and the saturated blue sky is pressuring you into yourself. Your shoulders have been wrapped in that pressure, and your arms won't move from your sides. 

This isn't how this is supposed to go, is the only thought running through your mind, but you don't understand why that feeling is so intense. You've never met either of these people, but that sense of deja vu... That sense of wrongness... 

Hands in darkness pull the curtains of the scene closed.

 _Do you know, do you know? There's not just one way to tell a story._

CHAPTER ONE: The Bride is dead. Your shit is wrecked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ohtori Academy gets a striking, new point of observation. Nanami throws a fit. Anthy is dead.

CHAPTER TWO: Now isn't this a strange turn of events?

Your name is AKIO OHTORI and this wasn't part of the plan. It's time to leave.

**> Be Utena Tenjou**

You are now Utena Tenjou and you're still unsure of how to deal with the, uh, dead body you're now somehow in charge of handling. Your first instinct was to get an adult (for once) but it's almost as if all the staff has disappeared off the face of the planet. Maybe there's just a staff meeting going on. The guy, who gruffly introduces himself as Saionji "the vice president" (as if that matters to you), tells you if a teacher doesn't pop up as soon as you need them, they're not going to show up, period. Which is ludicrous? You'll just check again as soon as the school day is out. 

You're sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. 

SAIONJI: SO DID YOU DO IT.  
UTENA: did i do WHAT?

He jerks his chin toward Anthy's body, which is still laying on the floor in the same position. It must have been recent, right? Cause she looks... she looks like she's still alive. Her skin is the same vivid brown and her hair's all there and she looks like a princess that could be awoken with a magic kiss. You wouldn't normally stare at anyone this intently, because it's kinda creepy, but it's not like she can tell anymore.

You're a little worried by how well you're taking the whole death thing. It doesn't feel real. But it's okay. You're probably definitely fine and you'll cope with this very easily. 

SAIONJI: I'M ASKING IF YOU DID THIS.  
UTENA: if i...?  
UTENA: oh my god  
UTENA: oh my god NO i would NEVER  
UTENA: did YOU do this??

He scoffs and doesn't respond further, as if his reaction should be evidence enough. But now you're suspicious, and things are starting to click together. Why was this guy charging in here, to a garden that you doubt he'd choose to spend his time in, and acting so forceful and rude? You eye him suspiciously and take a subtle step away from him.

SAIONJI: I DIDN'T DO IT.  
SAIONJI: WE WERE IN love.  
UTENA: oh, you were dating?  
UTENA: im, uh, sorry for your loss.

Now that it's been pointed out that he has emotions, you notice the shine to his eyes and the drops of tears edging onto his long eyelashes. Oh, wow. This is really awkward. 

You avoid looking at him, deciding instead to continue staring at the elegant corpse in front of you. Is that a weird way to describe a corpse? You can't think of a more fitting descriptor, though, because Anthy's body has such a beautiful daintiness to its posturing. Her legs are crossed at a slight angle, her face is so memorable compared to the rest of the people you know with its curved nose and slightly sunken eyes, and wow you really need to stop staring at this DEAD BODY OF A STUDENT. 

SAIONJI: I DIDN'T THINK THIS COULD HAPPEN.  
UTENA: i really dont think anyone expects their girlfriend to up and die mysteriously, man  
SAIONJI: DOES THIS MEAN HER power WAS A LIE? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!  
UTENA: what the hell are you talking about?

He glances at you, but rolls his eyes instead of answering, disregarding you as if you're a mob character completely irrelevant to his narrative. It stings more than you would have expected, and you feel slight shame that you're giving the guy's opinion of you any weight. 

SAIONJI: IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW, THEN YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO KNOW.  
SAIONJI: YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF IF YOU LEAVE HERE.  
UTENA: but what are you gonna do about her? i cant abandon this situation now that im a witness!  
SAIONJI: LET ME SAY IT AGAIN.  
SAIONJI: YOU'LL BE BETTER OFF IF YOU LEAVE OHTORI ACADEMY _NOW_.  
UTENA: is that a threat?  
SAIONJI: IT'S A WARNING. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. 

What kind of idiot does this guy take you for? Never mind the fact that you don't have anywhere else to go, considering your family situation, but even if you did, you'd stay just to spite his half-assed intimidation. He turns his back to you, signaling an end to the conversation, and you stick your tongue out at him. Rebellion starts in the smallest of ways, unbeknownst to the high balcony upon which the powerful sit, watching over the common folk in a comfortable daze.

A bellowing, intense crash rings out from outside the garden. It's a fair distance away, across the courtyard, but the collision is so loud that it feels like it's shoving you to the ground. You've never experienced a sensation so overpowering, like nothing else on earth. 

Nothing is visible through the garden windows except a pillowy brown fog of dust kicked up from the courtyard. Thaaat's not a good sign. 

Saionji grunts and falls to one knee, similarly shocked by the force. He whips his head around to glare at you, as if this is somehow your fault?! 

SAIONJI: WHAT ON earth IS GOING ON NOW?  
UTENA: i don't know, but i'm gonna do something about it!

The air is starting to clear of the pressure that forced its way in before, and you can feel clear air coming back into your lungs, giving you the energy to run to the door and shove it open, to see...

Not much, really. It's not the opaque layer it was when you were inside, but the dust that's been picked up is still blocking your vision so you have to squint to see where you're walking. The ground under your feet is rockier than usual because the dirt padding's been peeled away so thoroughly.

Holy shit, it's getting really hot out here. You don't know how you didn't notice before, but you can feel sweat coming down your back under your uniform. 

You're getting nowhere like this. A gruff yell comes from behind you, that you identify as Saionji. You can't exactly make out what he's saying, but it's probably not anything useful to you.

SAIONJI: ...DON'T...  
SAIONJI: ...DUMBASS...  
UTENA: at least i'm a dumbass trying to do the right thing!

Your petulant reply shuts him up for a second, and you keep treading forward, hoping to find some indication of where you are. The school has never felt so alienating, like you've been teleported to another planet entirely. 

Someone's hand grabs your shoulder, digging their fingers in in a familiar way, and you spin on one heel to shove them off.

SAIONJI: DON'T GET SO CLOSE TO THAT meteor, YOU DUMBASS.  
UTENA: what do you mean, meteor??

Saionji rolls his eyes and grabs the top of your head, mussing up your hair, then forcefully rotates it in the opposite direction. You blink a few times, trying to make out the giant blot of brown in the distance, and holy cow that's a meteor. What. _What._

**> Be the holy cow.**

You are now Nanami Kiryuu, fluttering your eyelashes as you sigh a soft breath. Birds chirp in the distance, singing songs of your beauty, certainly. What's a girl to do when her brother keeps playing hard to get? Being a loving woman is hard. It's hard, and no one understands. 

There's no time for that kind of deliberation though because something huge just shot through the campus and destroyed a building across the way and everyone in your class is shouting. Geez, what beasts. There's a decorum and grace that one must hold, no matter the situation one is faced with.

**TEACHER: Everyone, calm down! The student council president has already announced that he will be handling the situation!**  
NANAMI: _He what? Where is my brother? You can't make him fix up anything so dangerous!!!!_

Ohtori hath no fury like a Nanami scorned, is what your class learned that day. Your voice stabs into each and every ear without mercy, in the same way you would try to stab someone by dual-wielding a sword and dagger. Hypothetically. A kind, beautiful girl like you would never actually do something so horrible.

You slam your palms against your desk, pushing you to standing, and no one dares to get in your way as you run out of the classroom to make sure nothing bad happens to your beloved big brother. If something were to happen to him... Would you have anything to live for? All you could do is carry on his legacy to the best of your ability, and hope he was smiling down at you with satisfaction. These depressing thoughts bring tears to your eyes, and you're not looking quite as beautiful with your current expression, sniffling and frowning and wrinkling your eyebrows. 

It occurs to you that you don't know where you're going, but that's never stopped you before!

**> Be the lesbian.**

Sorry, the lesbian is too busy showering for you to be her right now. Check again later, maybe in a few hours.

**> Keep being the little sister.**

You are now Anthy Himemiya. On the list of acts you've been ordered to do by your brother, lying on the floor like a corpse has definitely been the most boring, which is a bit irritating. No matter how regretful or painful your relationship with him has been, at the very least you'd never have called it boring. 

Alas, your brother has already given up on the plan you'd agreed on. You're aware of that, but there's no point in going off-course at this point so long as a fraction of it can still be salvaged. 

When the dust settles around the students, bringing the vivid colors of pink and yellow and orange and brown and blue and red and green back into vision, they will have left Ohtori Academy. 

Welcome to the Land of Coffins and Canned Peaches.


End file.
